Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Photo: Courtesy, Zachry

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Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Photo: Courtesy, Zachry

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Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Photo: Courtesy, Zachry

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Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Photo: Courtesy, Zachry

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Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Renderings show San Antonio developer Zachary Corp.'s first designs for a $200 million mixed-use project at the Hemisfair.

Photo: Courtesy, Zachry

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Frost Bank Tower

The city of San Antonio paved the way for the construction of Frost Bank Tower in 2015, when it approved a public-private partnership with Weston Urban and Frost Bank. Crews started construction in 2017.

Spanish artist Daniel Muñoz's new mural on the Magik Theatre building overlooking Hemisfair is titled “25 Windows and a Frame.” He started work on the mural in June 2018.

Spanish artist Daniel Muñoz's new mural on the Magik Theatre building overlooking Hemisfair is titled “25 Windows and a Frame.” He started work on the mural in June 2018.

Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

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The frame referenced in the title is a large rectangular area on the outside wall of the building’s third floor. The windows refer to the long-boarded-up window frames that have been prepared for the project. All will eventually contain images celebrating the city’s Tricentennial. less

The frame referenced in the title is a large rectangular area on the outside wall of the building’s third floor. The windows refer to the long-boarded-up window frames that have been prepared for the project. ... more

Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer /San Antonio Express-News

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San Pedro Creek

The concrete draining channel has undergone big changes since 2016.

San Pedro Creek

The concrete draining channel has undergone big changes since 2016.

Photo: William Luther, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

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The upgraded San Pedro Creek Culture Park opened in May 2018.

The upgraded San Pedro Creek Culture Park opened in May 2018.

Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

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It features artwork from Adriana M. Garcia called, “De Todos Caminos Somos Todos Uno,” (From All Roads, We Are All One) along the banks of San Pedro Creek. The artwork is one of dozens included in San Pedro Creek Culture Park. less

It features artwork from Adriana M. Garcia called, “De Todos Caminos Somos Todos Uno,” (From All Roads, We Are All One) along the banks of San Pedro Creek. The artwork is one of dozens included in San Pedro ... more

Photo: Kin Man Hui /San Antonio Express-News

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Solo ServeThe Historic and Design Review Commission approved July 6, 2016 a plan to replace this dilapidated Solo Serve building with a 9-story hotel.

Solo Serve
The Historic and Design Review Commission approved July 6, 2016 a plan to replace this dilapidated Solo Serve building with a 9-story hotel.

Photo: Tyler White

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A drawing of what will be built on Solo Serve's current lot. An Austin firm called Merritt Development Group is the current applicant.

A drawing of what will be built on Solo Serve's current lot. An Austin firm called Merritt Development Group is the current applicant.

Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission /

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Sullivan Building

This current 50s-era Sullivan Building could be replaced with a 197-room, 138,000 square-foot Canopy by Hilton hotel.

Sullivan Building

This current 50s-era Sullivan Building could be replaced with a 197-room, 138,000 square-foot Canopy by Hilton hotel.

Photo: COURTESY /COURTESY

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Rendering: The 24-story Canopy by Hilton hotel, which would include 197 rooms and span 137,927 square feet.

Estimated Completion: Spring 2019

Rendering: The 24-story Canopy by Hilton hotel, which would include 197 rooms and span 137,927 square feet.

Estimated Completion: Spring 2019

Photo: Courtesy

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101 Lexington Ave.

The vacant lot at 101 Lexington Ave., would soon be the site of a tower.

Estimated completion: 2020

101 Lexington Ave.

The vacant lot at 101 Lexington Ave., would soon be the site of a tower.

Estimated completion: 2020

Photo: Google Street View

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Powers Brown Architecture has submitted plans to the city for a tower on a vacant lot at 101 Lexington Ave. The tower would include seven levels of parking, six of hotel space and seven of condominiums.

Powers Brown Architecture has submitted plans to the city for a tower on a vacant lot at 101 Lexington Ave. The tower would include seven levels of parking, six of hotel space and seven of condominiums.

Photo: Courtesy

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901 E Houston Street

The current empty building at 901 E Houston Street in downtown San Antonio may also be replaced.

901 E Houston Street

The current empty building at 901 E Houston Street in downtown San Antonio may also be replaced.

Photo: Public Documents From The Historic And Design Review Commission

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Renderings of a future proposed hotel at 901 E Houston Street in downtown San Antonio.

Renderings of a future proposed hotel at 901 E Houston Street in downtown San Antonio.

Photo: Miller, Jessica, Public Documents From The Historic And Design Review Commission

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Two downtown development has won initial approval from the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission, including a long-awaited luxury 17-story apartment complex on the River Walk.

Two downtown development has won initial approval from the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission, including a long-awaited luxury 17-story apartment complex on the River Walk.

Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission

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Local developer Keller Henderson plans to build the complex, known as the Floodgate, at 139 E. Commerce Street next to the Esquire Tavern.

Local developer Keller Henderson plans to build the complex, known as the Floodgate, at 139 E. Commerce Street next to the Esquire Tavern.

Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission

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When the project was proposed in early 2016, it was expected to have 10 stories, but its height is now 17 stories, according to documents from the HDRC.

When the project was proposed in early 2016, it was expected to have 10 stories, but its height is now 17 stories, according to documents from the HDRC.

Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission

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Henderson told the Express-News last year that apartments at the Floodgate would rent for an average of $4 a square foot, which would make it the most expensive complex in San Antonio by far.

Henderson told the Express-News last year that apartments at the Floodgate would rent for an average of $4 a square foot, which would make it the most expensive complex in San Antonio by far.

Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission

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3 new restaurants planned for La Villitas's Maverick Plaza.

Estimated completion: 2021

3 new restaurants planned for La Villitas's Maverick Plaza.

Estimated completion: 2021

Photo: Google Earth

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The Hut Group, a British e-commerce firm, could bring 165 employees to downtown San Antonio.

Estimated completion: TBD

The Hut Group, a British e-commerce firm, could bring 165 employees to downtown San Antonio.

Estimated completion: TBD

Photo: Courtesy

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The Hut Group is eyeing the 36,000-square-foot Commerce Building at 314 E. Commerce St. for its San Antonio headquarters.

The Hut Group is eyeing the 36,000-square-foot Commerce Building at 314 E. Commerce St. for its San Antonio headquarters.

Photo: Express-News File Photo

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Local architecture firm CREO is renovating the Commerce Building to include retail and office space, slated to be completed in 2019, according to the firm’s website.

Local architecture firm CREO is renovating the Commerce Building to include retail and office space, slated to be completed in 2019, according to the firm’s website.

Photo: Courtesy /

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The Hut Group would have to create at least 165 jobs paying a minimum of $70,000 within five years to receive a $500,000 economic development grant from the city and a $250,000 grant from Bexar County’s innovation fund. less

The Hut Group would have to create at least 165 jobs paying a minimum of $70,000 within five years to receive a $500,000 economic development grant from the city and a $250,000 grant from Bexar County’s ... more

Photo: Courtesy /

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CPS Energy says the new headquarters will allow the utility to move more of its employees into a single space, improving efficiency.

Completion: 2020

CPS Energy says the new headquarters will allow the utility to move more of its employees into a single space, improving efficiency.

Completion: 2020

Photo: Courtesy Photo From CPS Energy /

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CPS Energy has made an agreement with Sundt Construction for a $145 million maximum cost for construction of the new headquarters.

CPS Energy has made an agreement with Sundt Construction for a $145 million maximum cost for construction of the new headquarters.

Photo: Courtesy Photo From CPS Energy /

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USAA wants to build a 192-space parking garage addition

Completion: TBD

USAA wants to build a 192-space parking garage addition

Completion: TBD

Photo: Historic And Design Review Commission

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Local developer Hixon Properties is partnering with the Cavender auto family to build a six-story office building on Broadway — the first phase of a new neighborhood they plan to construct on land they own along the downtown thoroughfare.

Local developer Hixon Properties is partnering with the Cavender auto family to build a six-story office building on Broadway — the first phase of a new neighborhood they plan to construct on land they own

Fifty years ago, H.B. Zachry was instrumental in bringing the HemisFair ‘68 world’s fair to San Antonio. Next week, the city’s historic commission will decide whether his grandson’s proposed design for a massive mixed-use development is worthy of being built there.

Zachry Corp., led by CEO and chairman David Zachry, revealed plans Thursday for the $200 million mixed-use project that it plans to build on city-owned land at Hemisfair’s northwest corner. Its design team, led by local firm Overland Partners, hopes that the project — which includes a 14-story hotel, an eight-story office tower and a food market — will feel modern while evoking San Antonio’s architectural history stretching back the construction of the Alamo three centuries ago.

The hotel tower, on South Alamo Street, features a curved glass facade befitting of any downtown city block, but with a stone exterior on the ground floor and a metal screen on top that include quatrefoil patterns like those seen on Mission San José and the city's logo, said Robert Shemwell, a principal at Overland. A vaulted walkway leading into Hemisfair is designed to embody the feel of the arches at the mission.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is to help tie a lot of loose threads together,” Shemwell said. The proposed development will be “at the nexus of not only two important roads but now the Civic Park, the Convention Center, the River Walk, and all of the cultural and historical icons that form what your perception, memory, understanding of what San Antonio is.”

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Images from OxBlue Corp. show 10 months of construction progress for the Frost Bank Tower in downtown San Antonio.

Media: San Antonio Express-News

The project will surround Civic Park, a nine-acre public park that will be financed in part with $21 million from the city’s bond package. Passageways through the buildings will link the park with exterior streets, and the buildings’ ground-floor retail is designed to draw in visitors to “activate the park,” said Andres Andujar, CEO of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corp.

“It’s a very site-specific, very San Antonio design,” Andujar said. “You won’t find a project this is mimicking anywhere else.”

On Wednesday, the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission will consider whether to grant initial approval for a design for the three buildings, which will all be along South Alamo Street at Hemisfair’s northwest corner. The design will have to return later for final approval after incorporating any concerns the commission might have.

Other parts of Zachry Corp.’s project, including an apartment complex that national developer NRP Group plans to build on Market Street, are still being designed and will go before HDRC later.

The goal is to break ground on the project by late this summer and to finish in early 2021, said Tara Snowden, Zachry Corp.’s director of public and government affairs.

Zachry Corp. prevailed over 10 other bidders to develop Hemisfair’s northwest corner, one of downtown’s most prominent pieces of real estate, at the district’s busiest pedestrian intersection. The company and its CEO have deep ties to Hemisfair. Along with helping bring the world’s fair to San Antonio, David Zachry’s grandfather built the Hilton Palacio del Rio on short notice to host the fair’s guests.

The company’s executives have been closely involved in the redevelopment of Hemisfair since it began nine years ago. David Zachry served on the board of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corp., the nonprofit that oversaw the bidding process, from its creation in 2009 until 2011. In 2013, he lobbied state legislators to loosen limits on hotel construction at Hemisfair.

City Council voted unanimously in February 2017 to lease the land to Zachry Hospitality, one of Zachry Corp.’s companies, for up to 97 years, with Zachry paying HPARC about $1.5 million a year plus a portion of retail revenue. That means the Zachry family could retain a presence at the park into the 22nd century.

“It offers great corridors and porous entries into and out of Hemisfair Park itself,” District 1 City Councilman Roberto Treviño said of Zachry Corp.’s design. “It’s going to be a great addition in that it’s considering its neighbors, it’s considering the park, it’s connecting very well to La Villita. It’s really trying to pick up on all those visual cues in the context for which it exists.”

Through a bond issue, HPARC has already committed the first 20 years of lease revenue to back the $18.1 million bond issuance that will be used to build Civic Park, Andujar said.

Zachry Corp.’s project is a key part of the sweeping redevelopment of downtown. It’s right next door to the company’s recent $325 million renovation of the Convention Center. The rest of Hemisfair is being rehabilitated, and local developer David Adelman is in the process of building an apartment complex just south of where Civic Park will be. The stretch of South Alamo that runs alongside the hotel and office towers is being fixed up with $9 million from the city bond package.

The city is working to bring new restaurants from local chef Johnny Hernandez to La Villita, the struggling retail neighborhood across the street from Hemisfair. A few blocks north of Hemisfair, the state of Texas plans to transform Alamo Plaza from a busy urban plaza into a more historically authentic public space.

Numerous residential, hotel and office developments are in various stages of design and construction downtown, thanks in part to city incentive programs. A developer from Wimberley plans to build a 13-story luxury apartment tower two blocks from Hemisfair, for example.

One of the concerns of Zachry Corp.’s design team was to link the development with surrounding neighborhoods such as La Villita and Lavaca and to match the scale of nearby buildings, Shemwell said — including the Palacio del Rio. The project is intended to mimic the “quirky” pathways seen elsewhere in the Alamo City, he said.

The 200-room hotel tower will face the Palacio but will have a curved facade to prevent a “canyon” effect on South Alamo Street, Shemwell said. The hotel will be part of Hilton’s boutique Curio brand that is known for embracing unique designs, said Rene Garcia, Zachry Hospitality’s vice president of development.

The project’s designers put the entrances to the hotel and office towers away from the street to encourage pedestrians to enter Civic Park, Shemwell said. Retail space will dominate the ground floors of each building, and they might feature restaurants on their third floors that would connect directly to the park.

The entrances to Civic Park “will remain open to the public 24/7 — no fencing, no gate,” Andujar said. “The park literally extends through the development to the street.”

In between the hotel and office towers, there will be a market that will likely be full of restaurant vendors and tables where customers can take their food, said Omar Gonzalez, Hemisfair’s director of real estate. The market will be surrounded by outdoor seating.

Zachry Corp. has not yet signed leases with retail tenants, but the company has committed that it will restrict the use of retail chains, and that if it does decide to rent to a chain it will come to Hemisfair for approval, Gonzalez said.

All three buildings will sit on a two-level, 825-space parking garage that will connect to three streets — Nueva, Market and South Alamo. Zachry Corp. is expected build the garage, while the city will own it and lease 200 of the parking spots to Zachry.

The King William Association has come out in support of the project, its president Chris Price said.

“The developers came to us asking for input, and as I understand it, some of the input was incorporated into the final design,” he said. He added, “On a personal level, I thought it was very sensitive to the park areas. They oriented it to the street, the materials seem to be appropriate.”